the man known as the underwear bomber was also questioned by the fbi before he was read his miranda rights and almost immediately confessed to attempting to blow up a detroit-bound airliner on christmas day in 2009. he had links to al qaeda, but smeltzer says evaluating the information in this case thus far he assumes the two brothers were amateurs acting alone. >> by the homemade character of the weapons, which suggested something less systematic than a really sophisticated extensive terrorist operation likely. >> reporter: and the federal public defender's office said today that it will defend tsarnaev. most experts think this case will be tried in federal court, and prosecutors could charge him with use of weapons of mass destruction, which would make the case eligible for the death penalty. live in san francisco, monte francis, nbc bay area news. >> monte, thank you. >>> the bombing suspect is being held and treated in the same hospital as some of the victims. more than 180 people were hurt in the explosions, and some are still in critical condition tonight. their stories continue to t